Prelude
by Mizily
Summary: Their story begins here, in the town of Twinleaf, with a bookish little girl and a boy full of surprises. . . Pre-Game Jun x Hikari. Twinleafshipping.
1. Chapter 1

**Prelude**

* * *

Chapter 1

* * *

If there was one word Hikari could use to describe Twinleaf Town, it would be _unremarkable_.

She wasn't even sure if it could even be considered a town. Over the expanse of green lay a handful of houses, a narrow branching path darting the short distance between them. The forest loomed over the speck of civilisation, skyward tree trunks like metal bars.

She stared.

Her mother was silent for a moment, looking over the town with unreadable eyes. Then she flashed a small, reassuring smile at her daughter. "Come on then, little miss. Let's go unpack."

Hikari was still faintly nauseous from the ferry ride over. She still didn't see why they couldn't have flown here, as the dragon tamers did on TV, but when she had asked, her mother answered with a patient smile that she was much too young, and that business was for experienced trainers only.

She huffed quietly, because eight years old was plenty old enough and she had truly been looking forward to riding a Staraptor. She imagined clinging to his neck, swooping madly through the sky as the wind whooshed past her at eccentric velocities.

Now, she thought as her wide eyes swept over her surroundings, there was no chance of adventure for her any more. Not in this sleepy little town.

She was wrong there.

Her mother came and placed a hand upon her head, before heading off, towards a house that Hikari supposed was theirs. Hikari couldn't bring herself to follow her mother in. Instead, she petulantly looked out over the town, arms crossed.

A breeze slid by swiftly, teasing the treetops and sending ripples over the grass.

Then came another thought, just as wrong as the first.

_ I'm gonna be so bored here._

Fate heard. A moment later, a blur of gold and green hurtled into her life. Hikari made a small sound of surprise as something bowled into her with a jarring _thud! _The impact left her sprawled across the ground. Disoriented, her eyes searched for what had knocked her over.

A boy, blond hair in disarray, had also hit the ground, but he sprang to his feet easily, mumbling something that might or might not have been an apology, though either way, it seemed to be directed at his watch. Hikari was largely ignored as the boy continued on his way in hurried strides.

She stood up, astonished. Then she stalked into the house, face crinkled in distaste. What a rude boy! She hoped fervently that they would never cross paths again.

And that, that was a hope doomed to fail.

* * *

Time seemed to contract and expand in the leafy confines of Twinleaf. An afternoon would sluggishly trawl on as she wandered around town, searching for something to do, another fly by when hungrily absorbing the tales stored in the dusty books that her mother occasionally managed to procure for her. Those afternoons passed by the quickest, and Hikari would read and re-read and trace her fingers over the words printed over the yellowing pages, engraving them into her memory.

She read of brave trainers, and pokemon that created the world itself- one whose cry could split mountains, another who brought forth the vast oceans. A bird, its plumage an inferno of vivid colours, that blessed all that saw it with happiness beyond description. And she'd sit and dream, and wonder of the world beyond.

Though Hikari nearly never complied, Ayako often prompted her to go outside and meet new people- the world, she'd say, is what you make of it, but the comment would pass over Hikari's head each time.

Ayako was settling in nicely, as was her sleek, smug Glameow, who trotted at her heels with her little black nose in the air. Ayako had met up with an old friend, a kindly woman around her own age who lived only a stone's throw away with her son, and the two women often visited each other, bearing fruits or biscuits for the coffee table. Hikari would stay downstairs and sip silently at her sugary tea while her mother and her friend chatted away, usually about subjects that bore little relevance to her.

But she stayed anyway, both for the biscuits and the rare gems of information that peppered their conversations. She almost spat out her tea when her mother's friend mentioned that her husband was Palmer, the Tower Tycoon. The Tower Tycoon! A figure of such strength and prominence, a trainer so great that he had captured and tamed the legendary Regigigas.

Her mother smiled down at the teacup in her hands. "Palmer was always neck to neck with him, but they were closer than brothers. Do you remember the battles they used to have? It was always a sight to remember."

Who "he" referred to was made known by the way her voice lilted ever so slightly on the word. Ayako rarely spoke of her deceased husband, but since arriving in Twinleaf Town, it seemed that she was beginning to share those crystallised memories of him more and more often. Hikari would understand if she decided not to, since she herself had her own few memories, perhaps corroded and slightly blurry with time, but precious nonetheless.

They remained locked in her head, for viewing on days when she particularly missed him, and she guarded them jealously from prying relatives, because sometimes it was nice to imagine that there was something that existed only between her and her father, and nobody else.

There was a sense of awe that came with the fact that her father, who would bounce her on his knee and made silly faces, used to battle a Tower Tycoon and hold his ground. She listened speechlessly as her mother and Palmer's wife detailed long battles between the two and their mighty teams.

Her father's team was familiar to her already, but when it came to Palmer's team, she could not help but lean forward and listen intently with bated breath. In her mind's eye she took the words spilling freely from the women's mouths and conjured up a picture of great beasts spouting magma or streams of ice, attacking with swift power that could shatter bones as if they were glass.

The notion entranced her, ensnared her with half-formed daydreams that kept her awake at night. Her mind buzzed with slivers of magnificent battles with no beginning, no end and certainly no tact. She was only a little girl, after all.

Her books and her daydreams kept her sane, but even they could not help her on days when the inescapable loneliness manifested and lingered in the recesses of their new house. On these days, even her most fantastic stories could not help her feeling miserable.

Twinleaf Town was even less a home to her than it had been when they had first arrived, with every day alienating her further from the people who lived here. Her mother continued to visit Mrs Palmer, and they both continued to chit-chat over the coffee table. Hikari joined them less and less as the days passed by.

It seemed that her only company these days was Glameow, who like her had decided that Twinleaf Town was not worth leaving the house for. Glameow had once been a champion contest winner, once owned the stage she walked on. But now that the limelight had faded, she was reduced to a common house pet living in some obscure town in the middle of nowhere.

"Do you hate Twinleaf Town as much as I do?" Hikari would ask, voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper, though the house was empty more often than not.

Glameow would only send the little girl a haughty look over a silky grey shoulder, and leap off the kitchen counter so she could take her nap elsewhere.

So, most days, Hikari confined herself to her room, and let herself be pulled into the worlds of her beloved books. Sometimes, out the window she could see a figure of gold dashing about below, a green scarf trailing behind him. This rude, horrid boy she had identified as Jun, Palmer's son. _But I bet he's nothing like him,_ she decided. Often he was alone, but at other times he was with other boys, kicking around a ball or playing cops and robbers. If she was feeling bold, she'd push the window open ever so slightly, so she could them clearly.

One day they were playing adventurers, all trainers on a quest- Hikari heard their muffled chatter and hearty laughter through the window pane. She pressed her fingers against the glass and watched. They were all grinning.

Ugly jealousy slushed in the pit of her stomach as she watched them. It wasn't fair. Hikari would give her best book away for someone to play adventurers with her.

She sank down to the floor, back against the wall, and hugged her knees to her chest. She stayed like that for a long time, listening, until she heard goodbyes and the boys' laughter finally fade.

When she mustered up the courage to look out the window again, the grassy clearing was empty. A little while away, one boy was hurrying back to his house, a green scarf fluttering after him- and as he glanced back, she could've swore that for just a split second his amber eyes flickered to her window.

* * *

**tbc**


	2. Chapter 2

**Prelude**

* * *

Chapter 2

* * *

This autumn was cool, bringing tantalising scents of piping hot vegetable dishes on the breeze and occasional showers of cool rain that Hikari liked to listen to as it drummed on the rooftop. But best of all, autumn brought the day when school finally began.

Hikari had waited for it devotedly. Yet, as it approached and arrived, she was filled with a certain kind of apprehension, a sickening feeling in her gut that would not be forgotten no matter how much she distracted herself with reading or baking with her mother.

Ayako walked her to school on the first day. She told her to do her best, and just to be herself, when they were about to part at the tall black school gates.

Hikari clung to her mother's hand for a few moments longer then nodded uncertainly, eyes glued to the school. The academy was a giant ants nest, teeming and swelling with swarms of young children all chatting, giggling, joking. She spied a few parents like her own, seeing their child off, but it was obvious to her that the all of the students already had their own friends.

She swallowed a hard lump in her throat and walked past the great black gates, cautioning herself not to look back at her mother. Soon she was lost amongst many others, stumbling along with the current. A group of girls nearby burst into laughter, presumably having heard a particularly funny joke.

Hikari lowered her head and hastened her step. A few times she considered approaching somebody, tapping them on their shoulder and introducing herself- but each time, a terrible cowardice would gush through her veins, and she would continue walking on.

So it came to pass that she entered the classroom she'd been directed to by a helpful teacher, and sat down at a desk in the corner. Only a few other children were already seated, and all were surrounded by their own friends.

Jun was one of them. Leaning back in his chair, his face was alight as he was speaking to a couple of other boys, his hands making expressive motions in the air. A story, the words of which she could not quite capture and process, was spilling from his eager lips. She had been staring, she noticed suddenly, her face flushing hot in embarrassment.

He was the only person she recognised here- the rest must have been children from Sandgem. None of them decided to talk to her.

Hikari slipped a blue book from her bag, and thumbed through the pages until she reached the chapter she'd left off from. She bowed her head over the words until the teacher arrived, trying hard not to hear her classmates' whispers and giggles.

The teacher was a plump, friendly figure with spectacles that framed soft green eyes and crows' feet. Her gaze swept over her classroom, finally resting on Hikari, who was still reading intently.

With a clap, she brought her class to attention. The talking subsided and finally faded as children scrambled to their seats.

"Good morning," she greeted her class.

"Good morning, Mrs Hepley," they chimed back. Pleased, she beamed at her class.

"Welcome back to school. I trust that you all had an enjoyable summer. I expect you all to be well rested and prepared to work hard this term." It was apparent that the teacher was well liked, for nobody else bringing the topic of hard work to young children would be acknowledged with earnest nods and undisputed compliance.

"Very good. Now, today we'll be looking at basic elemental theory. . . but first, I believe we have a new member of our class. Hikari Berlitz, correct? Please stand up and introduce yourself to the class."

Every eye in the room turned to the little blushing girl, who hastily rose to her feet. But as she looked around, saw all these strangers staring at her, the words dried up in her throat.

"I. . . I. . ." she stuttered, and that was as far as she got. A long, drawn silence fell thick on everybody in the room. Hikari was turning interesting shades of red, wringing her hands and wishing that she had never come to school in the first place. She could be at home bundled up warm in front of the fire right now, munching on freshly-baked cookies. Why did she ever think this was a good idea? A choked breath escaped her lips.

Mrs Hepley, who had realised that the new girl was not going to finish her sentence, hurriedly diverted the class' attentions.

"It's a pleasure to have you with us, Hikari. You may sit. Now children, who knows which element fire is weak to?"

Relieved, Hikari sunk down into her seat. But she knew better than to think that the matter was forgotten. A few curious gazes lingered on her, though she did her best to take no notice of them and to keep her eyes on the teacher. Jun's amber gaze, however, was difficult to ignore. He had piercing eyes, ones that Hikari couldn't help but feel were pinning her to the wall, sizing her up and down and passing judgement. And she felt helpless, a silly bumbling fool under his gaze.

Swallowing down the bitter taste of humiliation, she stared straight ahead at the blackboard, got out her coloured markers, and began to memorise the strengths and weaknesses of fire-type pokemon.

* * *

The following days of school did not stop to accommodate for the new girl who had lost her footing on the first day and never managed to pick herself up since. Lessons she could handle, given that it was one of the few times when being surrounded by books was generally accepted by her peers, but she dreaded breaktimes with every fibre of her being.

Because in the playground, she was well and truly alone. She took to sitting on the grass, back to a chain-link fence. She'd watch the other children playing, but divert her gaze to her book whenever someone looked in her direction.

And then, a faint, pathetic hope would rise in her chest as she pretended to read her book, heart drumming. A hope that maybe, just maybe they might ask her to join them in their games.

But they never did. After all, who wanted to play with the tongue-tied loser?

She found her answer more than two miserable weeks later, when a ball rolled over to her from the football game a group of boys were playing in the field. The boy bolting after it had blond hair and amber eyes. He skidded to a halt in front of her.

Hikari, having assumed her usual position sitting on one side of the playground, silently handed him the football.

"Thanks," he mumbled, and turned away, but did not walk. She heard him make an aggravated kind of noise, and spin around to face her again. "Why are you sitting all by yourself, anyway?" he demanded.

Hikari didn't answer. She raised her book higher so that she wouldn't have to meet his eyes.

A boy who had been playing football called over, "Jun, you coming back with that ball or not?"

He carelessly tossed the football back over his shoulder. "Carry on playing without me," he shouted at them, despite their raised eyebrows. Eventually they shrugged and returned to their game. Jun didn't spare them another glance.

"Why are you always all alone?" he asked quietly. "I want to know."

Hikari held her breath, no longer reading any of the words printed across the pages. Though he received no answer but silence, Jun crouched down opposite her.

She finally found her tongue. "H-hey, what are you doing? Don't you want to play with your friends?"

Jun shrugged and told her that it didn't matter that much to him, his team had pretty much won already. "Besides," he said, "I don't feel like playing ball anymore. I think that today, I want to play adventurers. But it might be a bit boring playing alone... Do you wanna play with me?"

Hikari was in a daze. She could only manage a slow, hesitant nod of affirmation.

"That's what I thought!"

She stared in wonder, unable to stop the fresh smile blossoming over her face. "Well, don't just sit there! C'mon!" He tugged her up, out of her miserable little corner. Her book tumbled out of her lap, forgotten.

And suddenly, playtime wasn't all that bad any more.

* * *

After that day, for Hikari, everything was changing. Twinleaf Town's small size was becoming a blessing rather than a curse for her, when she found that if she wandered around for long enough, she'd eventually bump into Jun. Or rather, crash headlong into him. The boy seemed to always be running from place to place.

Soon, the sound of his erratic footfalls were to Hikari music learnt by heart. More often than not, he crashed into her, but he never apologised.

_Thud!_ "Oh, hey Hikari! What's up?"

Generally, nothing. Her life as she could describe it was generally dull, especially compared to Jun's vibrant existence. Her usual reply was a shrug and a careful question in return.

Jun was a passionate boy by nature, and it showed. She found herself entranced by his verve, the brilliant vigour in the way he spoke and held himself. Where words had once failed her, they now came more steadily and easily than they had in months.

"I can't wait for the first snowfall," Jun was saying. "Snowball fights and snowmen and snow angels... I sure miss winter."

"I've never seen snow before," Hikari admitted.

"You've never-" he trailed off, incredulous. "You haven't lived!"

"Johto's really warm," Hikari explained, eyes on the ground. "I think the last time it snowed there was ten years before I was born."

"You're from down south? Woah! What was it like?"

She shot him a shy glance. "Sunny. There are the prettiest sights there too, like Mount Silver. You can see it wherever you are in Johto. People are always out on the streets chatting and training and playing. One town had a slowpoke well where all the slowpokes came to drink when they got thirsty." She giggled, then sighed. "I miss it all."

"Why'd you move to a little place like Twinleaf then?"

Hikari blinked at him. "I didn't want to."

"Oh," he said.

"Sometimes I want to go back," Hikari said, twiddling her thumbs. "But then other times I think that it's kinda exciting. I want to explore when I'm older and see the whole world. This could be a first step."

In the dark, Jun's amber eyes were glinting bright, and it occurred to her that even in Johto, she had always been friendless.

"Right! Twinleaf Town's not so bad, you'll see!"

It was not long before Jun and his antics melded into her life, and she could not imagine no Sunday afternoons playing hide and seek with him in the forest, Thursday evenings exploring Johto in their backyards, Monday nights sipping at styrofoam cups of steaming cocoa from the cafe as they exchanged tales about far away lands.

Each passing encounter revealed another facet, a whole new side to him.

"When I finally get my own pokemon, I'll sweep the elite four and become champion for sure!" he'd say, or "I'm fining you one million pokedollars if you don't play adventurers with me!"

Hikari had been shocked. She'd counted on her fingers, then looked up at him in distress. "I don't have a million pokedollars," she said.

"You'd better play with me then," he shot back gleefully. "I think today we'll explore Hoenn..."

She never really had any complaints.

What Hikari was realising, slowly but surely, was that she could be anywhere she wished to be, if only she were beside Jun when she wished it. The tales in her storybooks leaped to life as they played. The gentle hills became jagged icy mountains, the tiny pond a swirling ocean, the still sky beginning to stir with swooping dragons and mighty birds.

This entire world: it was theirs to keep and explore.

He had an wicked imagination that defied all law and logic. A few words, a wide sweep of his arms, and they were exactly where he wanted them to be. Pretend games became reality with the breath that passed his parted lips. He was the ultimate story book, able to pull anyone in and twist and turn the tale round and round them.

Sometimes she would add her own bits and pieces to their playtime, but Jun was undoubtedly the crafter, the mastermind. She understood why he had so many friends now. He had that inexplicable fire pumping through veins, in his eyes, the same her father once had. It flared and fluttered, drawing people near to him, sometimes by fascination, but more often by compulsion. There was more life in Jun than anyone she knew. Whatever he did, he never did half-heartedly.

_Are you my friend?_ she wondered constantly, wanting to draw closer. _Because I'd very much like you to be._

* * *

"Did you know that my daddy and your daddy used to be friends?" Hikari asked as she plucked flowers from the ground absently. She and Jun were sitting cross-legged on the grass, feet bare.

"Of course! I found that out ages ago. Keep up, Hikari," he chimed back. "They battled a lot too. I bet they were awesome battles- my daddy's a Frontier Brain, you know!"

She smiled down at the daisies in her hands. "Yeah. I know."

He waved around his hands. "You should see him fight! His Rhyperior can wipe out whole teams! When it spews fire, there's nothing left around him but ash and smoke and char- I've seen it myself!" He seemed satisfied to find Hikari gasping, fingers raised to her open mouth.

"Are you gonna become a Tower Tycoon, just like your dad?" Hikari wondered, impressed.

Jun shook his head with vigour. "No, no! Do you know what I'm gonna be, Hikari? I'm going to tell you a secret now."

She nodded eagerly, leaning in. He was quiet for a short while, then whispered two words that would still resonate clearly a decade later. They rolled from his lips steadily, as if he were savouring their flavour on his tongue. "The Champion."

Hikari was stunned. Jun pounced on his chance to elaborate. "When I finally get my own pokemon, I'm going to travel and train till I can take on the Elite Four, then the Champion. I'll defeat them all and take the title for myself!"

"But the Champion is the strongest trainer in Sinnoh," she gasped.

"Well then," he said, crossing his arms across his chest. "I'll just have to be stronger."

Was it really so easy? Hikari frowned, fiddling with the flowers in her hands. He peered over now.

"What's that? A daisy chain?" He stared at the string of carefully threaded daisies on her lap. "Arceus, Hikari, you're such a girl sometimes."

"I am a girl," Hikari pointed out quietly, but he mustn't have heard, because the next moment he was ranting on about the virtues of grass-type pokemon.

This misconception of her gender was not amended until years later, when somebody else began to appreciate what he had never noticed. But that was a long way along the road; and this was only the beginning.

* * *

**tbc**


	3. Chapter 3

**Prelude**

* * *

Chapter 3

* * *

Winter was fast approaching, with its swathes of silvery winds and fresh dustings of ice each morning. On the best days, Hikari would wake to the sight of snowflakes dancing outside her window, and the trees heavy with glistening snow.

Other days, she would wake to Jun banging down her door then barging into her room, without permission.

"Daaaaawn! Come on, sleeping beauty! Let's play!" Usually, Hikari would be bleary and full of questions, such as "what time is it?" and "why aren't you sleeping like a normal person?" and "how the Flygon did you get into my room?", but today was different.

It was brightening outside, and Hikari was excited to see the best snowfall of the year so far. She was itching to scoop some up with her warm, bare hands and make snow angels in the thick new blanket of snow. Jun had other plans, or so he told her as he burst into her room.

His eyes were gleaming. "Morning, Hikari. You ready to see something amazing?"

Hikari tugged on her favourite winter coat. "How did you get into the house again?" she asked.

He shook his head. "That doesn't matter. I've got something cool to show you, so I'm fining you a hundred billion trillion if you're dumb enough to refuse."

"What kind of thing?" Hikari asked suspiciously, but before she heard an answer, she was being dragged along, hair still half done. She squeaked in protest, attempting to finish pinning up a lock of hair.

"You'll see, you'll see! I decided earlier this morning that I'd show you." Hikari slid on her boots as they passed out the door and into the crisp, chilly air. Jun inhaled a lungful, and blew it out in foggy wisps.

Twinleaf Town was still sleeping. Jun had not noticed, it seemed, for soon his bright laughter broke the silence of the winter morning as he tried to catch the fluttering snowflakes on his tongue.

Hikari giggled as she hurried to catch up with him, savouring the gentle crunch of snow trodden underfoot. The chill was biting at her skin through her clothes and numbing her ears, but she welcomed it freely. Besides, Jun was wearing much less than she was, and she hadn't heard a single complaint from him. She noted with amusement that the change between his summer and winter attire was only rolled down sleeves.

"Jun, aren't you going to wear something warmer? You'll get a cold. We're just a minute away from your house, you could just pick up a sweater there."

"You sound like my mom! We've got no time for that! Look, we're almost there!"

He had led her to a clearing that stretched and widened out as they left the town. There were patches of tall grass on the right, but to her relief, he did not try to walk into them. Her mother had warned her countless times of the dangers of entering tall grass without pokemon of her own, and she thought it wise practice to follow.

Instead, they followed the path that shot off to the left, where there was an indistinct trail of well trodden ground surrounded by trees and thorny, overgrown bush. She would not have noticed it had Jun not pointed it out to her. It looked as if it were only forest leading into more forest.

"See that? It's a secret entrance! Pretty cool, huh?"

Hikari nodded. "Can we go in?"

He gestured at the small opening, and spoke two words that Hikari thought she'd never hear from his mouth. "Ladies first." Hikari gaped at him, wide-eyed with surprise and excitement. "Go ahead, just mind your head for all those branches."

She had to shuffle on the ground against the snow so she could crawl past all the brambles, and for a split second she wondered if Jun was exaggerating again. He had a tendency to do so, often exciting Hikari for something that turned out to be hopelessly bland. Any such thought flew from her head the moment she lifted her head.

"Wow," she breathed, rising steadily to her feet.

A lake of clear blue stretched out beyond her, all matter of aquatic life darting swiftly through the water in vibrant shades of orange and blue, glimmering golds and crimson reds. Cool mists gathered on its glassy surface, cloaking the far distance under a hazy white veil. The white sky above, showering down white snowflakes, trickled into the white mists until one was indistinguishable from the other. White on white. From the middle of the lake a rocky cove rose beyond the mists, small but magnificent. Hikari gasped, head turning left and right, as if drinking in the scene before her. Trees towered around her, oaks and alders and pines all laden with snow, small birds flittering from branch to branch.

"Welcome to Lake Verity!" Jun sprang to his feet beside her, brushing the fine snow from his hair. "This is my special place! No-one else knows about it! Uh... except you now, I guess." He scratched the back of his neck. "But you have to promise not to tell anybody, 'kay Hikari? If you do, I'll be really mad and fine you a million pokedollars!"

Hikari exhaled softly and turned to him, almost awed and humbled speechless at the sight. "I promise. It's a secret, okay?" They locked pinkies.

"Yep, it's our secret from here on out! I hope you're good at keeping secrets, Hikari!"

"The best! My lips are locked," she said, pretending to throw away the key. "How did you find this place anyway?"

Jun looked up at the snowflakes streaming down and smiled. "About a year ago, I heard this cry. I remember being upset that day, because daddy wasn't coming home after all. It was a really... beautiful cry. I followed it to the lake, but there was nobody here. There never is. I've been coming back ever since. It's weird, Hikari, I always feel happy here."

His words dissolved into the cold air and falling snow, leaving hazy, sweet silence in its wake. Hikari noticed that she felt happy here too, standing next to Jun with the cold seeping into her boots and winds whipping her hair against her face. She looked up, and all she saw above was white.

"A beautiful cry," she echoed finally. For some strange reason, the legends of Sinnoh sprang to mind, crabbed script on yellowing pages with illustrations etched in black ink that had captivated her by some inexplicable pull. Many a long, oil-burning night was passed poring over the numerous tomes describing legends of this mysterious new region. "Maybe the myths are true. About the lake guardians, I mean! One of them must have been calling you here!"

Their eyes met, and they burst out into giggles at the absurdity of it. Jun brightened up immediately. "Come on Hikari, I'll show you how to get to the other side of the lake!" She opened her mouth to comment, but he was already dashing away. She was about to follow when she saw him slip and land head first in the snow, arms flailing. Hikari burst out again into a fresh round of giggles.

"That's what you get for running everywhere!" she proclaimed. She didn't foresee the hunk of snow smacking her square in the face.

"That's what you get for letting your guard down!" he crowed back, springing back to his feet like a jack-in-the-box. Hikari wiped the wet ice from her face, then bent down to scoop up handfuls of fresh snow.

"I'll get you for that!"

"You'll have to catch me first!" He bolted across the snowy ground, Hikari giving chase immediately. Their laughter rang clear across the crisp air. Lake Verity watched them play, mirroring the children and their smiles in hues of glazy blue. Around them, starly chirped from the treetops.

Jun was running circles around her, being undeniably faster than his friend, but she had the better aim. Snowballs flew effortlessly from her fingertips, more often than not true to their target, while his frenzied barrage tended to splatter around her feet or over her head.

"Missed me!" Hikari yelled. Jun huffed and scraped snow from the ground hurriedly, while she searched for a safe place to hide.

"We'll see who's laughing now!" he shouted back as he began to pack together the snow into a misshapen ball larger than his head. Heart hammering erratically, laughter on her lips, Hikari ran for cover behind a towering tree with bare branches sprawling in every which direction.

She pressed her back flush against the rough bark, stifling her giggles. Her head, all mussed locks under a wonky woollen hat, lolled back as she let the ache seep into her muscles.

When she glanced to the right, the wide lake pervaded her line of vision, gleaming in the winter sun underneath the milky mists. In the moment she spared to admire the view, there was an unheralded, though slight, stirring in the air, amongst the swaying mists. Her breath caught in her throat.

A glimpse of pink among the white mists, a gentle tinkle of chimes. Her eyes were strained, and her ears like ice, but surely they would not deceive her.

Hikari had no time to think it over, because the sound of footfalls was approaching, and before she had a chance to even lift her arms in defence, snow was shattering over her head. The sound of her friend's snickers filled her ears, and she soon forgot, as children do, what she had just seen.

"No fair," she yelled, and when Jun claimed it was, it was fair and square, she chased after him with her sodden hat brandished in one hand like a whip.

The snow had stopped falling by midday. They played until the snow was slushy and muddy on the ground.

Nobody ever said it aloud, but Lake Verity was theirs. Even before either child stepped foot on its grassy banks, it belonged to them. The forest surrounding them watched them grow up year after year, the ground below took each footstep, the sky above remembered their shouting and their laughter.

It was where they began their adventure together, on the grassy bank with one briefcase and two wild starly. Hikari sometimes liked to imagine that Lake Verity was proud of them. Like a mother, she sent them off from her familiar confines and into the wide world, always awaiting their safe return with an open embrace.

When the time came, years later, they did return home; taller and older and stronger. Two champions. Heroes. As they settled down on the bank of their lake and shared stories while they watched the scant mists knit together then unravel over the water, Hikari could not help but think w_e're home._

Over the course of their travels, they saw many sights, experienced many things, but without a doubt, none could compare to the feel of this grass beneath her bare feet, the scent of these trees wafting on this breeze, the shimmer of this lake under the sinking sun.

Because, really, their story began here.

* * *

"Daddy's coming back next week," Jun told her in the evening, as they were chugging styrofoam cups of cocoa under a darkening sky. Though the nights were still fraught with chill, around them, the snow was beginning to melt away, revealing patches of glistening grass. Spring was sweeping over Twinleaf and painting its palette with greens and golds much missed during the long winter. Now flowers began to bud tentatively, and the sky was often a blue known only on the brush and in dreams- white clouds opening up to a brilliant, brilliant cerulean.

Jun was having a hard time keeping the grin off his face lately. "He's staying for a whole month! Can you believe that? He's usually so busy with battles and challenges, but he got someone to cover for him."

"Whoever's doing his job must be really strong to cover for the Tower Tycoon," Hikari said, and felt a little lighter when his face lit up. In all honesty, Hikari was also excited to see the great Frontier Brain, but she felt that it was his son's job to be fired up about his arrival.

"That's right, my daddy is super powerful! Don't get on his bad side, Hikari, he'll smoke you whole!"

She frowned at that. "No he won't. Mom says he's a nice man."

Jun scratched the back of his neck. "Well, yeah," he admitted, "but you should still watch out. And treat his son with some respect!"

The girl downed the remainder of her hot chocolate in one gulp and stood to bin the cup.

"He'll have some respect when he stops scrounging in my fridge for leftovers at dawn," she laughed. Jun, having already finished his cocoa, and never being able to stand walking behind her, jumped up and bustled after her.

"What's that meant to mean?" he demanded when he reached her side, but she just shrugged in a way that said that she knew exactly what it was meant to mean. Jun, being Jun, forgot about it quickly regardless.

"I can't wait for daddy to come home," he said, quite quietly. Hikari smiled.

"It won't be long," she assured him. She did not let him know that she too was holding her breath for his father's arrival. _Jun's dad_, she thought._ I wonder what he's like..._

* * *

**tbc**


	4. Chapter 4

**Prelude**

* * *

Chapter 4

* * *

Hikari was smitten.

She had seen attractive people before, but this man was simply mesmerising.

Across the table, she watched him with wide eyes and cheeks stained pink. Jun sat to her left, her mother to her right, but her gaze remained fixed on the blond man in front of her all the while, as he began talking of his latest challenger. Even the delicious dishes of steaming food prepared by Jun's mother were paid little mind to by Hikari. She ate quietly, listening to all that left Palmer's lips.

"... Naturally, I wiped the floor with his Metagross. He was a spectacular trainer to be sure, but he always took too long thinking over his next move, and that was his downfall. Strike fast and strike first, that's what I say!" His voice was a low, smooth tenor that lulled the ears into following attentively. When he laughed, it was as if the whole world was laughing with him.

Hikari was in a trance. This beautiful man couldn't possibly be Jun's father. He held himself with such grace and gallantry that when he first arrived at Twinleaf, whirling in on the back of his Dragonite, with wind in his hair and a storm of leaves stirring around him, she thought a knight had appeared.

She remembered well the sunlight catching his wild golden hair like fire, and glinting in eyes the colour of rich honey. It had been love at first sight. Hikari promptly ducked behind a dustbin, and with pink dusted across her cheeks, watched him leap from his Dragonite a few feet off the ground, green trenchcoat rippling behind him. He was exactly as she had imagined him and better.

She was as sure as a child could be that she could watch him forever and it wouldn't be long enough. Being invited to dinner at Jun's a blessing for Hikari, who could stare at Palmer as long as she wished. Now, if only Jun would stop nudging her every other moment.

"Hikari. Hey, earth to Hikari. What's wrong with you?" he asked, voice lowered to a whisper.

"I'm fine," she answered quietly, but she did not turn to him.

"You're been acting weird. Really weird."

She wasn't listening. She found it fascinating to watch Palmer eat. She noticed that he and Jun ate in exactly the same manner; both shovelled food into their mouths, only stopping for short periods of reeling off spiels of excited speech. It was one of many similarities they shared, yet for them all, Hikari found all of her attentions swaying instantly to father instead of son.

Jun finally gave up. Easily distracted as he was, he was soon engrossed in telling a story about the time he angered a geodude that he thought was a rock, and ran a mile to escape his fury. Hikari knew it was only for the benefit of his father; both their mothers had heard the story before, and Hikari had been there and ran that mile with him.

They all still laughed though, Palmer the loudest. "That's my boy," he said, and Jun tried not to look too pleased. It was clear that he idolised his father. Of late, he was beginning to brag of the Tower Tycoon's prowess more and more often.

In school, Jun ran his mouth to whoever he was talking to, and while most met it with light disbelief, one day a boy lashed out in intense displeasure.

"Stop spreading lies," the boy scathed. He stood opposite Jun, his cronies behind him, all shifting uncomfortably on their feet. "Nobody believes you, you know. None of us have even seen your dad."

"It's true, it's true!" Jun insisted, vexed. "He's so busy that he can't always come home, but he's home now."

A crowd had gathered around them, in the corner of the concrete playground. The other children stood silently, watching the scene unfold before them. Hikari stood by Jun's side, and while the foreign feeling of being surrounded by people filled her with a certain self-consciousness, mostly she just felt utter loathing for this boy with the sneer on his face and cruel words on his tongue.

Jun didn't deserve this.

"You're pathetic. Like the Tower Tycoon would have a son like you." Hikari knew this boy. His name was Ced, a large boy with dark hair and a face constantly twisted in distaste. Spoilt rotten, he lived in a mansion on the far side of Sandgem with tall gilded gates and three sleek cars parked in front.

She had seen it once when she was cycling by, and could not help but stare. It was massive, with gardens with fountains and hundreds of flowers of every colour and kind lining the paths. It was a palace, but Ced was no prince. Children flocked to him, not for his friendship but for the expensive birthday presents he gave and his backyard full of exotic pokemon.

Jun had never been one of them. He always told Hikari that he didn't like consorting with a bully like him, and she agreed fully. Ced was a mean child, easily resorting to malicious comments and backhanded jabs. He seemed to taunt and bait other children for no reason but his own amusement, or perhaps to inflate his own ego.

"Jun's telling the truth," Hikari said, doing her best not to shrink back as every head turned to stare at her.

"Oh, she talks," Ced jeered. "Has the wallflower finally found her tongue? I almost forgot that she was here."

"Hey, you leave Hikari out of this."

"Whatever, lover boy. You gonna go crying to your mommy? Or your daddy, this all-powerful Frontier Brain? Heh. You're nothing but a liar, Jun. Making up stories isn't convincing anyone that you're not a _nobody._"

Jun was bristling. Hikari had to hold his arm, fearing that he was about to lunge at the other boy.

"What? You want to hit me? Go ahead, give it your best shot. See if I can be taken down by a nobody." He said that a lot. No one ever had. His family was incredibly wealthy and influential, and cruel too if made enemies of.

Hikari looked around at the crowd of unmoving faces, spotted Jun's friends among them. Although she knew that the vast majority greatly disliked Ced, nobody said anything. Were they going to do anything at all, or were they just going to stand there, watching? Anger churned, boiling in her stomach.

"Liar, liar. That's all you'll ever be. You'll never amount to anything else." Hikari swallowed the bitter taste in her mouth, deciding to let go of her friend's arm. The next moment she was walking towards the boy, her face as composed and still as stone.

"Your real dad made a good choice, running off instead of fathering a loser. Just look at you-"

There was a sickening crunch of bone under skin as Hikari's fist connected with his face. The stunned silence of the playground that followed was only broken by Ced's derisive words melting into shrill wails of pain. He was doubled over, cradling his bloody face in his hands.

"You bitch!" he screamed.

Flexing the hand that she had just punched him with, Hikari turned away, nonchalant. Jun was horrified.

"...Hikari, what the heck?!"

She had nothing to say. Jun let a fleeting glance over at the other boy, before rushing to catch up with her as she strode away. Their classmates stood shakily around Ced, unsure of what to do. Many were gaping at Hikari as she left, an invisible bookworm until only a minute ago.

"Are you okay?" a girl asked, touching him gently on the shoulder.

"Are you stupid?! Does it look like I'm okay? Get me a first aider," he roared, pushing her off. "Now!" She scurried away immediately.

Jun saw nothing else, because he was sprinting to catch up with Hikari. He peered at her, but she kept walking, choosing to answer none of his questions.

Of course, she didn't get away with it. It was midday when the principal called her into the office, and nearly lunchtime when she was sent home, severely reprimanded.

She was surprised when she saw Jun waiting for her at the school gates, hands stuffed in his pockets. They walked home together, the blinding sun high in the sky and their tummies rumbling.

"I can't think what you did it for," Jun was saying, "You know Ced does that to everybody."

Hikari shrugged. "He called you a liar. You're not a liar, we both know that."

"Well yeah, but you didn't have to _punch_ him!"

"He had it coming. I never liked Ced."

"Me neither," he admitted. "You shouldn't have done it... even if it did teach him a lesson or two."

Hikari swerved around to face him, a cheeky smile growing on her face. "You have to admit, it was funny seeing him wail like a baby."

That was something that Jun had to agree with. "He always tells people to just try hitting him, but I don't think he ever expected a girl to have him screaming like he was. Remind me not to get on your bad side."

"I have detention for a week and the Head wants to talk to my mom. I won't be punching anyone again unless I want to get expelled." She strode on, looking in better spirits.

"Do you?"

"No!"

Jun laughed heartily. "Then I guess I'm safe. I don't want you to get expelled either- who would protect me from Ced the next time he comes after me? Besides, school would be boring without you."

"Oh, really?" Her smile was wide across her face now. "Why aren't you still in school anyway, Jun?"

There was a wicked glint in his eye. "I might have been sent home early for unacceptable behaviour."

When she caught his eye and realised that he wasn't joking, Hikari began to laugh. The sun was shining bright all the way home.

* * *

Ayako was sorely disappointed with her daughter's behaviour, but it helped that Jun was by Hikari's side most of the time, insisting that she had been in the right.

She was wavering, being genuinely fond of the blond boy and his parents, two of her oldest friends.

In the end, Ayako decided that Hikari would not be allowed to play outside with Jun for two weeks. Although she missed Lake Verity dearly, the punishment was reasonable enough for Hikari, since she could easily bury herself in books, and she was still allowed to Jun's house, if only because of the massive phone bill racked up when the two started to ring one another every half hour.

Palmer now tended to wink at her, with a joking "looks like my son has a knight in shining armour," causing her to blush madly and avoid eye contact. He had become fond of her, thought she was good for his son. "You have some spirit to keep up with Jun, girl," he would say in his booming voice.

Even seeing him with an arm around his wife could not quell her growing crush. Jun was becoming suspicious.

"So what's up with you? Every time you're at my house, you completely shut up and turn bright red!"

Hikari shook her head. "Nothing, I'm fine. It's just..."

"Yeah?" Jun prompted.

"Your dad. He's really good looking."

Hikari wondered why Jun suddenly looked as if he wanted to throw up.

* * *

**tbc**


	5. Chapter 5

**Prelude**

* * *

Chapter 5

* * *

The day that Hikari was finally allowed back out of the house, she raced to Lake Verity, stumbling over her own feet in her eagerness. Jun was already waiting for her on the bank.

"Too sloooow," he called, bare feet submerged in clear water.

"Sorry," she said, a habit she would soon grow out of. She couldn't spend her whole life apologising for being a step behind him. "How's the water?" She padded over to the boy, pulling off her boots and socks so she could join him and dangle her feet in the lake.

Jun bent over and scooped the surface of the lake with both hands, so that it splashed onto her face and dribbled down her shirt. "You tell me," he said between chuckles.

"Hey, what was that for?" Hikari spluttered, wiping her face furiously with her wrists. Naturally, she flung water over Jun in retaliation.

Now they were both wet. In a moment they were assailing each other, lake water crashing here and there and goldeen darting away from the commotion. Jun, in an attempt at creating a monster wave specifically for Hikari, leant too far forward and tumbled into the water with a mighty splash.

Hikari laughed, until she saw that the boy, treading water by the bank, did not look happy.

"Help me up, Hikari," he said, sounding sullen. She obliged, offering him a hand up.

He took it, but instead of heaving himself up, he tugged her down with his entire body. Hikari stumbled and fell, with an even greater splash than his. All sound vanished as her head went under, her eyes screwed shut tight.

By the time she surfaced, Jun looked in much better spirits. "The water's not bad today," he commented, and begrudgingly, Hikari agreed. It was clear as glass, and slightly warm as it engulfed them, like a familiar blanket.

Swimming in Lake Verity was a pastime only possible in the sunnier months of Spring and Summer, and one she had missed dearly. There was something about the way the lake's surface broke when her head came up and the cool air rushed into her lungs, the way that she would crack her eyes open in the water, after much deliberation, and see the dazzling colours of goldeen and seaking and magikarp whizzing against shifting blue.

She wasn't surprised when Jun began to chase the fish, his lean limbs flailing against the water.

"One day," he always said, "I'll catch a magikarp with my bare hands, no pokeball, and raise it into a massive gyarados!" Fish hunting became a strange sort of hobby for him. He never did catch any- either they slipped away from his hands, or attacked him with beams of bubbles. He was fast, but the fish were faster.

Hikari liked to watch the schools of fish scatter like confetti when Jun swam near, and the face he pulled when he failed to grab one. But today was different. Today, Jun spied something extraordinary.

"Look, Hikari. Look at that." Hikari found some purchase on the rocky bed, and squinted. Jun sighed in exasperation, head barely above the water. "Don't tell me you can't see it. Look harder!"

She followed his gaze along the lake, and thought she saw what he was pointing out. "Is that...?"

"Right! A golden magikarp! I bet you've never seen one of them before!"

"Well, neither have you!" Hikari protested, but Jun's face told her he wasn't even listening.

"I'm going to catch that magikarp," he declared.

"But Jun, it's in the deep..." They both knew what that meant. Their mothers had warned them both about the dangers of the deep in Lake Verity. Near the middle, around the cavern, the lake steepened until it was thrice as deep as an average adult's height. There, they were told, lurked powerful pokemon, frightening creatures that could kill them in an instant.

They had always heeded their mothers' advice. Hikari looked at Jun pleadingly. "Jun, please don't."

"It'll be fine," he promised. "I'll be in and out of the deep in no time at all. Just look at that magikarp- it's gotta evolve into some crazy powerful gyarados!"

"But-"

"Don't worry, Hikari!" He was asking for the impossible. She bit her lip, prepared to argue more, but in a blink of an eye he was off, gliding through the water. She had a bad feeling about this. Taking a deep, shaky breath, she followed him into the deep.

As she neared, water rushing by her on every side, her stomach churned and did somersaults.

Then she looked down, where the waters seemed to darken, and shadows moved unsettlingly against rocks. If she should tire, she would be unable to reach the ground with her feet. She rose to the surface for air.

"Jun?" she called. She saw him, a flurry of movement and splashing water, chasing after the golden magikarp insistently. The flicker of gold darted away from his reach.

She went under again, swimming further and further into the deep after him. She had to find Jun, and bring him back to the shallow before he really got hurt. Here, shadows obscured what lay a only few yards in front of her, and the waters seemed cooler than they were before.

Willing herself to be brave, for Jun's sake, she kept swimming, eyes wide open in search of him. There was a glimmer of gold, like the quiver of a flame, and she thought for a moment that it was his hair, it was Jun, it was Jun. Only, when she swam nearer, the gold took shape, and it was a magikarp.

It really was beautiful. Golden as the purest of golds. But there was no boy chasing it, so she swam to the surface and again choked out his name. The lake was wide, and he was small, and she could not see him anywhere.

Verity Cavern was nearby, perhaps he had taken to hide there.

Her thoughts were cut short as something wrapped around her ankle and up her leg, slimy and bumpy against her skin. A scream struggled to escape her mouth, but was muffled by water, because the next moment, she was being pulled under. Bubbles escaped her mouth, her hands clawing at the water in a poor attempt to reach the surface.

_What's happening?!_ she thought frantically. Looking down, she saw two large red orbs set in a blue cap-like head. Tentacles sprawled from it in every direction, one around her leg, another snaking across her arm.

She blacked out.

* * *

Hikari dreamt.

There was darkness, and then there was a tinkle of chimes. The sound soothed her. It was as if everything was slipping away from her; consciousness, strife, memories. There was nothing but her and the sound of chimes.

Then, the oddest sensation of being lifted up by invisible, intangible arms. She was rising, up and up and up. Her body smashed through a thin sheet of glass, but it wasn't at all painful.

Slowly but surely, the gentle ringing of chimes was drowned out by the deafening sound of air surging towards her, the song of birds and her own, heavy breaths.

When she opened her eyes, there was light. Pink blurred, in and out of focus in front of her. It was as if she was not in her own body at all. Hikari saw herself sit up slowly and lean forward, to touch the small, fairy-like pokemon. Magenta, with a magnificent jewel encrusted in her forehead. She was so beautiful, more beautiful than the golden magikarp had been, more beautiful than anybody she knew, even more beautiful than Lake Verity itself.

The beautiful creature cried a beautiful cry and flew away before Hikari could touch her.

Hikari gasped sharply, and collapsed.

* * *

"Hikari...!" That was Jun's voice- she could recognise it a mile away. Where was she anyway?

Her eyes slid open, heavier than lead. Her head was resting on the grass, and when she looked ahead, she saw him hovering over her, against a backdrop of blue sky.

Relief flooded his eyes as he sprung to his feet. "Thank Arceus," he breathed. Her clothes were soaked, heavy and cold against her skin. She sat up, suppressing a shiver. The lake rolled out in front of her- she was one the bank of Lake Verity, cold, wet, but unharmed. "Daddy, Hikari's awake!"

Palmer came hurrying, with a blanket in hand. "Hikari. How are you feeling?" She tugged the blanket around her, still feeling dazed. When she stretched out her right leg, she saw raw red marks running around, up to her thigh. They didn't hurt so much now, unless she pressed her fingers to them.

"Thank goodness you're okay, Hikari. How are you feeling now?"

"I'm... I'm okay," she said. "Mr Palmer, did you save me?" She wanted him to say yes, he did, he was her knight in shining armour, but he only shook his head.

"I came after Jun called me. He said that he couldn't find you. Milotic searched the whole lake, but in the end, it was Jun who found you in the cavern."

"The cavern..." Her mind spun. Bits and pieces of her dream were floating around her mind, unable to form a full picture. How had she escaped? All she carried was a vague memory of pink and tinkling chimes.

Palmer's voice turned stern. "You were swimming in the deep. Hasn't your mother warned you? Encountering wild pokemon when you have none of your own is dangerous, you know."

"I'm sorry!" Jun burst out. "It was my fault, I went out first, and Hikari told me not to, but I did anyway and she followed me in. Daddy, Hikari did nothing wrong, please don't punish her-"

"I'm not going to punish her," he said. He crouched down so he could fix his gaze on them. "You two have to be careful though. Promise me that you'll never go into the deep alone again."

"We won't," Jun said, fists clenched.

"Good. I would hate to see either of you hurt."

A moment of silence descended upon them all, perhaps pensive on Palmer's part, guilty on Jun's. Hikari sat wet and shivering on the grass, pulling the blanket across her shoulders.

"Playing at Lake Verity, huh? This used to be where we played too." He looked down at the girl. "Me and your father, I mean. But I guess both of us have moved on..."

Hikari looked up, eyes wide. That was something her mother had never told her. Palmer let out a short laugh, eyes sliding shut as a dazzling smile crossed his face. He offered Hikari a hand up. "Come on. You'll catch a cold. Let's get you two home."

As they made to exit Lake Verity, Hikari glanced back over her shoulder, and thought that perhaps her father was closer than ever.


End file.
